How To Rehydrate Dry Cigars

So you let your cigar dry out - we’ve all been there! The good news: all hope is not lost and you can most likely still get your cigars back to smokeable condition. Is it ideal? Of course not. But you don’t need to hurry to throw your cigars away. In fact cigars found from over 50 years ago have been found, rehydrated and smoked successfully!

Step 1 - Check For Damage

If a cigar has dried out it is much for susceptible to damage. After it dries, the individual leaves inside the cigar become brittle (especially the wrapper). If a cigar is dropped or contacted in another way - damage can occur. If you see a crack in your wrapper, unfortunately you are out of luck and the cigar will not smoke as intended.

Step 2 - Temperature

Rehydrating a cigar is taxing on the cigar. If you try and rehydrate it and bring it back to proper temperature at the same time you are much more likely to cause damage. This is why it is important to bring it to a normal temperature before humidifying. If a cigar has been in a very hot or cold environment, let it acclimate in a room temperature environment for a day or two first!

Step 3 - Hydrate!

The final step in attempting you salvage your dry cigars is to get them back in a humid environment. We always suggest using the industry standard for humidification - Boveda. If your cigars are extremely dry, its a good idea to start with a 62% or 65% Boveda before going to your usual 69% or 72% (definitely don’t go right into a 72% environment if your cigars are completely dry). Every few days, give your cigars a small turn to ensure even humidification. If your cigars have only been out for a day or two, you are fine to put them right back into your normal humidity levels.

Step 4 - Wait

Rehydrating cigars takes time - cigars aren’t going to be back to smoking condition overnight. Extremely dry cigars can take several weeks to reach proper smoking condition. As tempting as it may be, let them rest until they are properly humidified. Your taste buds will thank you!

While dry cigars may never reach the level of flavor and complexity of properly humidified stogies, you can still get some value out of them. Getting 90% of the experience is certainly better then 0%… Just make sure you take better care of your stash in the future!